Ahead of Kaizer Chiefs' back-to-back Soweto Derby clashes against so-called 'noisy neighbours' Orlando Pirates, KickOff has the latest on whether key defender Rushwin Dortley will recover in time.
Chiefs suffered the Dortley injury blow in early March, as the defender's knee 'discomfort' saw him also ruled out of Bafana Bafana's 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifiers in the same month.
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With this website initially led to believe the former Cape Town Spurs man would be out for at least a month and with the Soweto Derby against Pirates this Saturday and the Nedbank Cup final against the same rivals the following week looming, there is interest on whether he would feature in any of the crucial matches.
Chiefs have been out of sorts, playing with a makeshift defence and have continued to struggle at the back, with only three clean sheets in the seven games Dortley has been sidelined.
KickOff.com has gathered exclusive information from sources in the know at The Village that it is highly unlikely that the Bafana international will feature in the upcoming derbies.
With the side left with a handful of matches before conclude their 2024/25 season, it is understood the Naturena-based club is not keen to rush the player back into action. Instead, he will only be eased back for pre-season, in preparation for the new campaign.
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The 22-year-old has started in all the games since being called up after helping South Africa qualify for the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations, before his injury ruled him out of World Cup qualifier wins over Lesotho and Benin.
